Court approves $1.23M settlement over death at Lenawee County Jail

A $1.23 million settlement in a lawsuit over the death of a Lenawee County Jail inmate in 2007 received final approval Friday in United States District Court.

The settlement ends five years of litigation over the death of Brenda Sue Smith, who died at the age of 37. The lawsuit claimed jail officers and contract physician Dr. Jeffrey Stickney were responsible for her death from severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. She died three days after being booked into the jail on a state parole violation charge.

The lawsuit claimed negligence in officials failing to provide medical care for Smith as her condition deteriorated.

A private contractor took over medical care of inmates at the jail shortly after Smith’s death, with daily on-site staffing.

Lenawee County’s insurance company reached a settlement agreement in April. A settlement with Stickney was reported Aug. 1. No amounts of an award were mentioned until an order signed by Judge David M. Lawson was posted Friday on the court’s website following a hearing on a motion to accept the settlement.

The settlement hearing was delayed until Friday while an attorney appointed by the court to represent Smith’s minor child reviewed the case. Guardian ad litem Brian Casey filed a report on Sept. 11 stating the settlement is fair and in the child’s best interest.

An attorney for the Smith family, Kenneth Finegood of Southfield, was awarded a one-third contingency fee that was included in his agreement to handle the case.

The remaining $790,989 is to be divided among family members after the court reviews and approves distribution. A conservatorship is to be established for the minor child.